foster



JOHN H. FOSTER, OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.

Letters Paten-t No. 93,869, dated August 17, 1869.

Ili/IPROVEMENT 'IN CULTIVATOR-HGES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent .and making part of the 'sal-ne.

To all whom cit-may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN H. FOSTER, of Charlottesville, in the county of Albemarle, and State of Virginia, have invented a new and improved Couvertible Hoe and Fork; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact desciiption of the construction and operation 4of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view, showing the instrument adjusted as a hoe.

Figure 2 is a similar view, showing it adjusted as a fork.

The objeet of this invention is to provide for public use a simple and durable instrument, which can be adjusted to operate either as a hoe or a forkrand which can at any time be readily changedfrom one forni to the other, as the work requires. l

In the drawings- H is the handle, provided at its lower endmjith a metallic head, H', of triangular shape, in whie'lr' is out a lateral Lsl1aped slo t, S S', and T T1 E2 are the pieccsf metal that form the tines, each being. an independent piece, bent, pointed, and shaped as shown, and smrconstruetedthat when arranged one piece within the other, the tines will come in the proper positiorl to form a fork, rakeor hoe-head, will he readily understood from the drawings. i

Thus arranged, these 'pieces -T .I, 4&c.`, (to any required nurnber,) are inserted into the slot slvs, and clamped rigidly therein by means of a wedge, or wedge and block.

When the instrument is to be used as a fork, they are inselted into the upper part of the slot, in that branch of it, shown at s, which extends inline with the handle, as seen in fig. 2. The other brancl1,s, 1s then illed up with a metallic block, B, and a wedge, w, is .driven in at the end of the block, to hold it and the tines in place.

When the instrument is to be used as a hoe 01' rake, the pieces T T1, Sto., are inserted into the branch s ot' the slot, which extends at right angles with the other, and are confined .in place by inserting the block B in the branch s, and driving-thewedge into that part of" the slot, at the angle and common to both branches, as shown in fig. 1. v

The end of the block B may be grooved, so that two of its terminal edges will slightly overlap the edges ofthe slot, as'shown at e'e, whereby the'block will be prevented from moving laterally.

The wedges may, if any 011e prefers to dose, be inserted at any part of the slot available for the plu'- pose, and one may be inserted at one place, another at another.

Having thus described iny invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by'Letters Patent, is-

A convertible hoe and fork, constructed with the independent tine-pieces T T1, dre., the slotted head H', the block B,and the wedges u', all eombinedto operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN H. FOSTER.

\Vitnesses:

M. M. DU Pun, L. H. MCGLUNG. 

